The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is vulnerable to various disorders, which may be caused by various factors, including genetic, trauma, infections, degeneration, structural defects and/or damage, tumors, blood flow disruption, and autoimmune disorders. Symptoms of a CNS disorder depend on the area of the nervous system that is involved and the cause of the disorder.
The development of effective therapies for CNS disorders has lagged behind other therapeutic areas due to the complexity of such disorders and the lack of efficient technology for delivering therapeutic agents through the blood-brain barrier. As such, it is of great interest to develop new treatment approaches for CNS disorders.
D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) is a peroxisomal enzyme that oxidizes D-amino acids to the corresponding imino acids. It has been reported that DAAO is involved in the metabolism of brain D-amino acids, including D-serine, and the regulation of the glutamatergic neurotransmission. As such, DAAO can be a target for treating central nervous system (CNS) disorders that are associated with D-serine and/or glutamatergic neurotransmission.